As travelers, we all too often leave our homes unoccupied and vulnerable.

Technological advances in camera design and – of course – the wonder of the increasingly omnipresent internet have allowed home security systems to evolve from their earlier 'unintelligent' audible alarms that were as often as not false, leading to frustration and potentially heavy fines from the police.

Nowadays, the best systems use high definition color video cameras, complete with sophisticated motion detection systems, and will send text messages and emails to you to provide alerts whenever motion triggers their sensors. You can then view the video, real time, on your phone or via an internet connection, see what is happening, and decide if you need to call the neighbors to let the cat out or call the police to catch a burglar in the act.